UNIONS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS PLAN WEEKEND PROTESTS AT NT LABOR CONFERENCE OVER ASBESTOS AND FAILURE OF NT WORKSAFE

24-Mar-2017 11:42 AM

The CFMEU, other unions and concerned community members will be staging protests at this weekend’s NT Labor Conference at Mantra Pandanas. We will be calling for the Gunner Government to take urgent action over the ever-growing asbestos problem in the Territory and NT WorkSafe’s failure to act on safety.

ASBESTOS MASSIVE THREAT TO TERRITORIANS

This Saturday, we will be calling on the Gunner Government to address and act on asbestos concerns in the Northern Territory.

CFMEU Divisional Branch Secretary, Michael Ravbar said “The CFMEU, and the community as a whole, are sick and tired of this Government’s empty promises and lacklustre performance.

“Gunner should take a positive and proactive approach to the issue and set up an independent taskforce to undertake a thorough audit of the Territory.

“Once the risks and hazards have been identified a full clean up should take place and asbestos awareness training offered to all Northern Territory residents.

“It is time for the Gunner Government to take responsibility for the removal and management of asbestos across remote communities and regional areas.”

At the Territory Labor Conference this weekend, a number of unions and branchies will put forward an urgency motion calling for the Gunner Government to address the number one safety concern of Territorians, which is asbestos.

Chair and WHS Officer of the Asbestos Disease Support Society, Andrew Ramsay will address the crowd and talk about the very recent asbestos cases in the Northern Territory and the Government’s gross inaction.

There is major community concern that the health and safety of Territorians is being put at risk while the regulator and government sit on their hands and do nothing to address or fix serious safety issues in the Northern Territory.

This Sunday unions, workers and concerned community members will call on the Gunner Government to take immediate action and undertake an independent review of NT WorkSafe.

“Workers have held a number of previous rallies over a spate of workplace accidents and fatalities and time after time NT WorkSafe have failed to act.”

It is now time for Gunner to step in and stand up for workers and the community and review NT WorkSafe to ensure workers’ safety is taken seriously.

"The Territory deserves a regulator that puts the health and safety of workers' first not the interests of dodgy employers that are more concerned about corporate greed at the expense of community and workers' safety, said Michael Ravbar.

"We call on the Gunner Government to immediately undertake an independent review of NT WorkSafe in response to failing to act over workplace accidents and safety issues in the NT.

“The key issue of public and workers safety cannot be ignored any longer. We will do everything we can to ensure that this Government does the right thing by the community and acts immediately when their safety is at risk.”

This Government has been given plenty of opportunity to address and fix the safety concerns of Territorians and yet they have still not taken any action.

This union, along with others, will continue to put pressure on this Government until the safety in the Northern Territory is addressed and the Territory is rid of dangerous asbestos containing materials and debris.

The CFMEU will always take a stand so that workers' can come home safely to what matters most.